The Palace Witch
"Then he pushed the lever forward, and I could feel the platform rock from under me. Then it went, and dragged me down into the true hell that was awaiting me, and then I felt a shudder and stopped. I could feel my neck breaking, my head tearing off. But then it snapped. The noose had snapped, and so I had taken to the sky, but to be seen again by the Palace SandWings another day." -Jinx's story.- The Palace Witch Prologue - Witchcraft Superstitious was the one word that could truly describe the SandWings of Ca'salm, a town below Burn's Stronghold. Burn, however, had no rule over this broken town, littered with poor and tortured souls, most of which have never showered in their lifetimes. Ah, but within the prisons of Ca'salm lived two dragons, Jackson and Ethereal, male and female, mate and mate. Better yet, they were identified as witches. And in Ca'salm, Witchcraft is forbidden. "Well, Jackson, before we die in a few minutes, what do we do with it?" The female snapped, leaning towards her tall husband. "The question is, how do we make sure it doesn't die like we do tonight?" Jackson answered with a sigh. "I mean, we could murder it, but that's just wrong? Or curse it to not hatch? It would be like abortion, and it wouldn't have a problem with anyone, as anyone hates witch-spawn, ugh, I can't talk." Jackson was known to ramble, Ethereal had thought. Then she had a second to consider her options. "Curse it? It...what if it isn't a bad curse?" Ethereal whispered. "I've got something!" Jackson whispered back, "I enchant this egg and the dragonet inside it to not be an animus!" But the guards had looked. "The safety charm did not work! They are using their curse!" One screamed and fumbled with his keys. They were hanged, Jackson, Ethereal, and the guards who failed to stop the witches from casting a spell on the egg. But they left something behind, that the guards did not hear of until it hatched the next day. "It's a jinx, it's a trick! Do not do the magic trick." She had been singing, although the newborn should not have been able to. "Jinx..." The maid whispered. "You are the spawn of the witches, are you not?" The poor dragonet didn't know what to think of this, so she simply blinked. The cell was opened and the newborn was taken out. The maid had called out "Jinx!", before the jailcrate had left to the orphanage of Ca'slam. Chapter One - Life and Death September Third, 5008. Haaa, today is the day! Today is the day that my execution is planned. I am 10 years old, a good age for an execution. I'm freaking out, and I'm pretending to be asleep right now. But the Headmistress will wake me in a matter of minutes. And with that, my door swings open to reveal a tall, jagged female SandWing. Ah, the headmistress. I do hate her, but she's kept me alive for 10 years. Not anymore. "Good morning, my sweet devil!" She spoke in a sing-song voice. "The visitors are here today! We're all going to watch the show today - had you heard?" Is she '''serious '''or just really remindful? I growl and slide out of bed. "Rushing to see me dead? Are they gonna skin me and hang me on your wall?" "Dear!" She fakely gasped in her odd, accented annoyingly British '''voice. "I would never want you dead! It is not by choice that they are taking you from my clutches to be damned!" I roll my eyes. Can I get one thing straight? I am '''not '''a damn witch. I've tried to summon the power of animi, but it's just not there. Still, I am a witch according to the laws of Ca'slam. I hopped down the stairs, not believing what was happening. Now I know what the Prisoners - in the scrolls - feel like when they get to Death Row. This is my final meal, one more kiss goodbye to the Headmistress, and then farewell. And then in Hell. I. Can't. Believe. This. Is. Happening. My only thoughts as I, in some sort of a trance, stepped over the final step and saw them. Two regel SandWings, decked out in gold-and-red feathered armor, holding spears and keeping fiercesome, SkyWing-like expressions. And then there was HIM. MagiCend. Magic-end. His name said it all. I stared through that executioner's mask into the dark, black eyes. No, not black. Black coal with embers of '''hate. I'm nearly crying at this point. Please, feel what I feel. Feel helplessness, abuse, feel the thoughts of a dragoness on Death Row. He was the one to look away from my dark eyes. It made me feel better to know that he was scared of the Palace Witch. But that didn't help the pit in my stomach that told me I was going to die. I thought over everything that I hadn't done. I didn't love someone, I didn't gain school friends and enemies, I didn't watch the war end. All I saw was MagiCend's eyes. Wheeze much? I wonder if there were any scrolls on "How to tie a noose". Seems random, but that was the way I was going out. I wonder if I'm the first to be accused of something I'm not. Oh well. I'll never know. It was minutes before I stopped staring at him, nearly muttering a curse that would send him to hell. "Ahem, Headmistress. I'd like you all to gather below the platform. The bells will chime and they will all come out. Spectacles will be handed out for watching". MagiCend spoke at last. The Headmistress nodded, and a bit scared called up to the children, who came tumbling down like an avalanche. Hm, hm, hm, hm, hummmm, hehe...haaaa, cough. If you couldn't tell, that was a whimper. A long one, but I didn't dare speak it. Out loud. I dipped my head as the chains went around my snout, over my neck, torso, wings, tail, stomach, and talons. They were long and clanky and attached to the two regal Guards in the front. The door creaked open, so we flew. It was hard to fly because of the chains on my wings, but the force of the soldiers bid me sell my wings to them. So I did, and I didn't dare barter. It wasn't a fair trade, though. And then I closed my eyes, and we were on the platform. I could hear them gathering below. Why did they love death? Watching it? Why couldn't they be more like the MudWings, loyal to each of their own tribe? I would love to be a MudWing. MudWings would probably not be accused of witchcraft. MudWings are amazing. SandWings are not. Whimper. "Jinx of the Lower SandWings, you have been accused of practicing Witchcraft, and serving Queen Satan as your Queen, instead of Queen Burn, Queen Blaze, or Queen Blister. You have exceeded all tests, as your genes approve of your animus powers. You may or may not serve the Fallen Angel, but you still have inherited the infectious powers that cause one to bring themselves to insanity, as did the Ancients Prince Darkstalker of the Night-IceWings, Prince Albatross of the SeaWings, and Jerboa of the SandWings, who was not a criminal but a petitioner. Would you care to admit to either practicing Dark or Animus magic?" "Hmm, NAH." I coughed the words up, which caused some laughter from the crowd below. "Haha, very, very funny, my Satanist." MagiCend went on to say. "Any last words before we pull the damn trigger for a damn girl?" "I'm not a witch, and I do not '''intend to be, thanks. Also, my Headmistress, Tumbleweed, abuses her children, not just me." I laughed, almost. But it was only a snicker that came out. "OOOOOOH," A loud, child-like sound came from the audience. "Well, may that be your last," MagiCend roared into the night. Then he pushed the lever forward, and I could feel the platform rock from under me. Then it went and dragged me down into the true hell that was awaiting me, and then I felt a shudder and stopped. I could feel my neck breaking, my head tearing off. '''But then it snapped. The noose had snapped, and so I had taken to the sky, but to be seen again by the Palace SandWings another day. It was a clumsy flight, with chains bounding my talons. I would barely escape this way, so I turned to a no-better alternative, of trying to run on the ground with my talons still in chains. The guards were so surprised that they were only taking off from the platform now. I still had the noose around my neck. It was raspy, like a cheap scarf. I kind of wanted to wear it around. I didn't have that thought for much longer when he grabbed the end of it and I was stopped. "Did you truly think you could get away, Witch?" His glare was sharper than an IceWing's claw. "Take off that stupid mask and look me in the eye, Magic-End." I turned to him. I could see he had fallen stiff and frightened. "If you're really a witchhunter, than you'll look an ol' hag in the eye." Then he let the noose out from his talon and for once, you could see that he was actually scared. I...I liked it. Chapter Two - The Castaway Barterer It was a sandstorm outside, and the rest of MagiCend's "partners" were not following me out. The walls were large enough around the Palace of Ca'salm. I pulled the noose over my snout. It looked weird, but it would keep the sand out while I tried to sleep through it. But I heard yells and screams behind me as the sandstorm moved over Ca'salm. They must have thought that I've used a witchy charm on them or some of that crap. I moved forward in the sandstorm, but something must have torn from a building because... CLONK! Black. Oh wait, I'd closed my eyes. I woke up in a dark, musty, dust collecting room. I blinked a few times, adjusting to the hardly visible area surrounding me. I looked down to see dark chains crossing my body, more than there was before. They were also rustier than the Ca'salm chains, which were gleaming silver. "Well, well, well. If it isn't the little palace witch!" They were colder than the chains binding me, and the voice was a mix of British and Pirate. I could not tell who spoke these words, but I came back and raised my voice. "Not like I've heard that thousands of times," I breathed. "Creative, ain't you, fellow?" "Do you know who I am?" The growl returned and out stepped a black SeaWing. Wait. Not a SeaWing, no, no. A hybrid, I could tell. "Quite frankly, I've been locked up all my life, I don't know anyone but the Guillotine." "You admit to being a witch?" "I'm not a witch!" His eyes gleamed. "You said that wrong. We'd have accepted ya' if you were a witch. We needed one on the team, an animus." "You can be an animus without being a witch," I muttered under my breath, hopefully, the Pirate-like SeaWing wouldn't notice. "Ohhh, Chrysanthemum! I caught one!" He called to another room. Out of the shadows emerged a SandWing, decked in jewelry. "Where'd you find her?" She asked. The SandWing turned to me, who's black tongue was flicking and eyes were narrowed. "Sandstorm. This is the palace witch. She was about to finally get back home to hell." "Hmm." She tapped her chin. "Are you really an animus?" "No. I'm not. I'm not a witch. My parents were, but I'm not." I sighed. I couldn't dare to recount all of the times someone had asked if I was really a witch...or literally screamed that I was a witch, hah, me. "Shall we throw her out to get to hell-" "Shh, Hook. You can go now." She turned to a slight glare at the hybrid, who gave a blink of...hurt? Or fear? I wouldn't let him get the best of me, either, as I called out, "Filthy thief!" "Hellbound witch!" "Stop, you two!" The roar came from the large SandWing. I seemed very small next to her and stopped speaking. Hook left, muttering about how I was dead to him. I didn't care. "You have muscle. Internal muscle. You'd make a good Viper, Jinx." "Um...please explain a few things to me, before I agree to whatever you're planning. First, where are we? Second, who are you? And third, what's a Viper?" "We're in the Sand Serpent's layer." I blinked. The Sand Serpents were real? "I'm the leader, Chrysanthemum. And a Viper is a thief. You'd make a good one. I can tell because you literally escaped death." Weeeell, I didn't really escape death. If the noose was made out of a stronger material, I would be dead. It was then I had shaken the feeling of capture and helplessness off. "Untie me," I commanded. "Please, sweetheart?" "What?" I said flatly and flicked my eyes into her's. "Untie me please," she...she just told me off. I growled as her quick talons moved to remove them. "Should I take of the...uh, rope?" I had just realized that the noose was still on me. "N-no! No, uh, thanks. I'll keep it. Could be useful. Hm" She blinked, nodded, and finished taking off the chains. "Come on, let's go meet the others." Chapter Three - Pirates of the Sands One of the first ones that I saw was Hook - again. Category:Fanfictions Category:Fanfictions (Incomplete) Category:Fanfictions (Fanon) Category:Content (FearStrikerKrysantheShimmer)